


The Dragon’s Apprentice

by AuroraRose2081



Category: Descendants (Disney Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Dark, Audrey is still Queen of Mean, Jane goes bad, Maleficent escapes, Manipulation, Not really romantic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-09
Updated: 2020-07-09
Packaged: 2021-03-04 20:55:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,518
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25172716
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AuroraRose2081/pseuds/AuroraRose2081
Summary: Audrey unknowingly saves lizard Maleficent after she escapes from the Coronation, and in return is nudged ever closer to her destiny as the Queen of Mean with a bit of extra help from the Mistress of all Evil.
Comments: 1
Kudos: 9





	1. Little Lizard

Mal. Mal. Mal. Traitor, foolish, insolent little brat! Maleficent knew of course that her daughter was to soft for her own good. She considered stealing candy from a baby a bad deed; as if! But nothing truly made up for keeping those three equally soft friends of hers. Those fools. Then Mal went off to Auradon and Maleficent had plans! Oh yes she did, grand, well laid plans 16 years in the making. But Mal had to let her softness get the best of her. 

She fell in love. Love! It was a foolish endeavor; one that Maleficent knew she’d have to whip out of her daughter the minute they took over Auradon. Ben meant nothing compared to domination. But no. Nope! Once again, Mal had failed her in the most splendidly epic way possible. Using fairy godmothers wand with the same hands which had once held her scepter was the most embarrassed Maleficent had ever been. 

Mal was not her daughter anymore. She could consider herself disowned from the family — not that she really had one in the first place. If she were human again, Maleficent knew she could punish the girl accordingly, but the blasted wand had made things difficult. From her dragon form she had been reduced to a mere dragonling. More embarrassment for the Queen of all things Evil. Thankfully no one had noticed her tiny transformation, and she had skittered away unseen. One good thing. 

Now Maleficent followed the road towards the lights of Auradon Prep; the fancy little school the royal brats called home. Staying at the palace would lead to her getting discovered, or worse stepped on. So she crawled her way via gutter towards the only other building she could see while being so short. Damn Mal. Damn her to the deepest pits of hell. 

CAW! CAW! 

Uh oh. Doing her best to turn her little head, a black crow was watching her from a nearby lamppost. It looked hungry, lifeless eyes trained on its next meal. Without her magic to turn back, Maleficent skittered a bit faster along the concrete. But the ground was rough, and made her belly hurt slowing her overall progress towards safety. So the crow, with his great wings and beak, swooped down easily. Squeaking from the pain of his black claws digging into hard black hide, Maleficent blessed the fact she was still part dragon. 

Kicking and wiggling in the birds feet, he slammed her down back first against the concrete. Maleficent was ready to be eaten when the sound of human footsteps vibrated the ground. 

“Hey! Lay off you stupid pest!” A hand swatted at the crow, the bird immediately releasing his grip as Maleficent took a moment to breathe. “Shoo! Get out of here!” Next think Maleficent knew, a pink shoe collided with her attacker, sending the bird into a frustrated fly back up to his post. 

Wiggling around awkwardly, Maleficent didn’t have the energy to get back to the grass as two fingers grabbed her by the tail, lifting her up into a palm. 

“Well you’re certainly a funny looking...uh, thing.” 

Turning around to face the human, Maleficent wanted to hit herself. She knew those big huge eyes; they had been at the Coronation. Of course Sleeping Beauty’s daughter (Audrey, Maleficent recalled hazily) was the one to pick her up. The young Princess looked a bit frazzled, her hair loose and messy from being up in a bun as she stared at Maleficent, “are you ok?” 

Prodding her belly with a smooth French tip, Maleficent shook her little body so thorn like scales puffed up. Not very intimidating, nothing like her full grown form, but it was the best she could really do, “I’ll take that as a yes, then. Ok, let’s just...” 

Wandering off the sidewalk and into the grassy yard bordering the road back to Auradon Prep, Audrey lowered her hand to a nearby bush, “there. This should do.” 

She was letting her go? Most Princesses would simply squish a thing like her, wouldn’t they? Obviously Audrey wasn’t all that happy to be holding her, but she wasn’t going to stomp on her either, “go on, I don’t have all night to wait for you.” 

Shaking her hand a bit, Maleficent thought about the bush, but the crow was still watching from across the street. She’d be safe for a very short amount of time. So instead, once again embarrassed at how low she had to stoop, Maleficent wrapped her tail around Audrey’s delicate thumb and dug her baby claws into her fair skin. Hopefully the message of ‘I’m not leaving’ was clear. “Ugh, fine. So you’re a lizard of a higher class,” Audrey harrumphed in irritation, retracting her hand to keep walking, “I’m not really into reptiles.” She mused aloud, more to herself then to Maleficent, “You’re all a bit gross...ouch!” 

Giving the girl a nip to the finger but still not letting go of her skin, the Princess grumbled unhappily at the treatment, “ok, ok, sorry. Only some of you are gross. Especially snakes. Ick.” 

Maleficent wanted to roll her eyes as they walked along. This Princess was either really lonely, having resorted talking to a lizard she picked up on the street, or really sick in the head. But based on her mindless chattering, she was more or less talking to herself. So...both then? How pathetic. 

“I know of some great rose bushes just outside the school you might like?” She stated eventually as they passed through iron gates, “I wish this stupid Coronation was held at the end of the year so I could just go home. I hate this place.” 

Hate was a strong word for a princess to use. Hanging upside down on the girls thumb, Maleficent pondered her options. She could disembark at the school like she had planned, but someone would eventually notice a lizard wandering around. Or she could be smart and take advantage of her current companion; use Audrey to get closer to Mal and her no good friends perhaps? Maybe even manipulate her a bit as her powers began to return. 

“Alright; this is your stop.” 

Approaching the rose bushes outside the doors of the school just as she said, Audrey once again extended her hand for Maleficent to leave her. Instead of doing so, she just clung on tighter, causing Audrey to wince, “you’re a...a stubborn little thing. Go on, I don’t want you.” 

Shaking her hand to try and fling Maleficent off, the former sorceress just hung on for dear life. This was the only plan she had at the moment, and it was already more trouble then it was worth. 

“Audrey?” 

The swinging stopping suddenly as Maleficent was tucked behind Audrey’s back; someone new was approaching. Curious, the former Mistress of Evil released her now bleeding perch to have a better look from her slaves shoulder. The boy was tall, with hair clipped short and still dressed in his coronation attire. 

“Chad. What are you doing here?” Audrey snipped, rolling back awkwardly on her heels and refusing to make eye contact with the boy. He wasn’t bad to look at, but Maleficent could tell there wasn’t much else beyond that. 

“I came looking for you, duh. I saw you dancing with that VK at the party...” 

“That was nothing,” Audrey defended almost instantly, practically offended at the mere vision of her doing such a thing, “it’s what people expected me to do, so I did it.” 

“Why didn’t you come find me to dance with? I was waiting...” 

“Chad, we are over ok?” Waving a hand to shut the boy down, he quieted and Maleficent chuckled inside her head. So Audrey had a bite to her bark then? Curiouser and curiouser indeed, “Ben is with Mal for good and I really just want to not think about it. You were a rebound, ok, surely you realize that?” 

Ouch. Apparently this Princess didn’t play well with others either. Instead of becoming angry or upset though, Chad just shrugged and smiled stupidly.

“Yeah. But I thought we could still do things; smoothies and stuff? My mom was really excited when she found out I was dating you.” 

“Chad, please just leave me alone?” Audrey whined unhappily, finally letting her bleeding hand swing to her side as she stomped a foot. 

“Audrey, your hand!” 

Glancing down at her torn apart thumb, Audrey scoffed in annoyance as she once again hid said hand behind her back. 

“It’s nothing. I’m fine.” The girl deflected again, “just go back to the party. I’m retiring and I don’t want to be bothered again.” 

Twirling herself on a heel, Audrey all but ran into the school and away from this Chad idiot. Once far enough for her liking, she stopped to lift her knuckles to look at the bite marks, “owie.” 

Taking advantage of the chance to get away from the girls all-to-sweet smelling shampoo, Maleficent crawled down the length of her arm and stared. The Princess merely scowled back at her, “you’re more trouble then you’re really worth, lizard.” She chided, not bothering to brush Maleficent away lest she decide to use her claws or teeth again, “I don’t see why you want to stay here anyway, it’s the absolute worst. Especially with those VK’s still around.” Scoffing and throwing her head, Maleficent listened with interest as the gurl prattled on unhappily, “I mean honestly, Maleficent just crashed the party and because they chose to defeat her means they are automatically off the hook. Unbelievable.” 

Unbelievable indeed. Keeping still as Audrey continued the seemingly endless walk towards the sleeping areas, Maleficent was nearly blinded when they entered a bright pink Princess Suite. All but slamming the door closed in frustration, Audrey shuffled to the window and opened it wide, “here. You can do whatever, stay or go I don’t care.” 

Finally choosing to be let down onto the white painted sill, Audrey tossed a pink handkerchief down beside her, and set a magazine onto its pages to create a small tent. Maleficent supposed it was a bit of a stretch to have lizard things laying around, so she was improvising. 

“But you know it’s always Mal this or Mal that these days.” Audrey continued on, turning to return to the center of the room, “Ugh, I hate her.” Practically tearing the coronation dress off her body, Audrey chucked it against the wall as it thudded heavily to the floor, “I wish I could just...kick her back to that stupid Isle where she came from.” Kicking the dress, Audrey managed to kick the wall along with it as she yelped in pain, retracting her foot which was now red and sore, “stupid Mal. Stupid Ben. Stupid...” 

Listening to the girl rant as she vanished into the en suite, Maleficent smirked in her mind as she nuzzled under the magazine tent. So Audrey was spoiled? She had more hatred in her body then Mal ever did, and that was enough to set the evil sorceresses plans back into motion.


	2. Wolf in Pink Clothing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Maleficent gets to know Audrey better as she moves through Auradon Prep like a wolf amongst lambs.

Maleficent didn’t sleep much as a lizard. She didn’t really need to, as her breed were nocturnal and only required a minimal amount of rest. The sorceress turned dragonling was curious to find though that Audrey didn’t sleep much either. Not for a lack of trying mind you, Maleficent had watched her toss and turn for nearly three hours trying to get anywhere near actual sleep. But she ended up just sitting in one of her chairs with a cup of tea and a magazine, looking exhausted and miserable. 

Normally Maleficent would be pleased by such a turn of events; after all the suffering of others was her joy. And the daughter of Sleeping Beauty being unable to sleep was deliciously ironic. But Maleficent needed Audrey for her plan, which meant the girl needed to be in the best condition possible to take her around the school in the morning. The Princess seemed to all but have forgotten about her own presence in the dorm, as she barely looked at the window sill upon throwing off the blankets in frustration. 

So, quiet and stealthy as she could, Maleficent skittered down from her perch and towards where the insomniac still flipped through her reading material. She jumped at the feeling of tiny clawed feet scaling her arm, and her magazine dropped to the floor as Maleficent poked her head up over the back of her hand. 

“Oh gods, you’re still here,” the girl breathed, still very startled as Maleficent grabbed onto the right finger, “what are you...” 

Extending her teeth, the dragonling bit down as hard as she could. Despite being reduced to nothing but a mere hatching, Maleficent still felt the spark of magic fire in her belly. Jerked to alertness by the action, Audrey stood and shook her off with a squeak. Not sure if the spell worked or not, Maleficent simply rose from where she had landed on the floor, watching the Princess hold her hand out in shock before falling in an unconscious heap to the carpet.

So, that wasn’t exactly what Maleficent expected to happen. She was thinking something more...natural. But, she supposed a magic induced coma for the night was better then no sleep at all. Sure she might...well, not wake up for a while. But someone was bound to check on her eventually right? Inching closer to gently nudge Audrey’s cheek to make sure she was really and truly under the spell’s sleeping influence, Maleficent returned to her tent to watch over her. 

There was no more movement until well after the sun had risen. Having better hearing as a lizard, Maleficent could hear others in the halls getting up and preparing for the day. Audrey did not stir at all, still deeply under and probably really in need of a solid snooze. Suddenly confused as to why no one came to fetch her, only after the sun had found its highest point in the sky did anyone knock on her door. 

“Princess Audrey?” 

Fairy Godmother? She was the headmistress of their little school, was she not? Why didn’t one of Audrey’s little friends not come for her? She did have them, didn’t she? The light knock came again, “Princess Audrey? May I enter?” 

Still with no stirrings from the young monarch in training, Maleficent threw her head in frustration. Did she have to do everything herself? Skittering across the drapery to the nearby bedside table, the former sorceress used her body to push a ceramic lamp to the floor. It shattered in a loud and spectacular display; this was enough for Fairy Godmother to finally enter the room without permission. 

“Oh my goodness! Princess Audrey? Can you hear me?” 

Watching the tender moment between adult and child with some disgust, Audrey finally stirred back to conciseness as the Fairy Godmother gently touched her shoulders. 

“Ugh...what...what happened?” 

“Hush now, dear one. It’ll be alright, I’ll summon the good fairies at once. Just relax.” 

Merely groaning again as she laid on the floor in a spell heavy lump, Maleficent took her chance to jump down from the table to the floor and sneak into Audrey’s nightdress pocket to await transport. 

Eventually the girl was moved from her dorm into an infirmary area, where she was now. A change of clothing had been brought to her, and a thermometer stuck out between her lips. She looked better rested, if not a bit cranky at having slept on the floor. Only when the three good fairies, Fairy Godmother and Maid Marion (the school’s resident nurse) left did Maleficent take the chance to emerge. Audrey didn’t miss this as she hoisted the sorceress up by the tail. 

“You did this,” she growled unhappily at the lizard, chucking the thermometer to the bed in annoyance, “you bit me and I fell asleep.” 

Not able to talk in her current form, Maleficent just stared as Audrey winced and set her down on the nearby bedpost, holding a hand to her forehead, “ugh, I feel like I just got run over by the Tourney team,” 

Ah, the side effects of the sleeping spell weren’t sitting well with Audrey. That made sense, based on who her mother was, “and you couldn’t have spelled me, you’re just a little lizard.” Making a motion with her thumb and finger as to illustrate her current size, Maleficent actually felt offended and puffed out her thorns in response. Audrey once again just rolled her eyes, “yes, yes I see you. Very scary. Look at me shaking.” 

Huffing inwardly at the girls sarcasm, she merely rose to her feet and picked up the clothes which had been brought to her, “stay out of trouble, I’ll only be a second.” 

And indeed it was only a second. Maybe even half a second before the girl was back and perfectly ready for the day, night gown and sleep heavy face chased away by makeup and facade. So maybe the daughter of Sleeping Beauty did have some magic in her after all? Just not used for the right things. Magic was great, Maleficent knew as she could make whole worlds cower at her feet. But never had she seen it used for quick changes like Audrey had just done. Did that even count as magic?

“Alright, so you’re sticking around then?” She asked, extending a hand towards the bedpost as a bridge between it and her shoulder. The girls fingers were covered in bandages — Maleficent would need to hold back on the biting of the fingers from now on as to not draw suspicion, “well come on, I want to get out of this place.” 

Taking this as a cue, Maleficent crawled to the Princess’ shoulder. At least this part of the plan was working. Audrey was lonely enough that carrying a lizard around was a viable option for companionship. It was still pathetic in Maleficent’s eyes, but she wasn’t going to scoff at easy opportunity to becoming human again. Exiting the infirmary, Audrey seemed to brush her experience right under the rug as her face slipped into a neutral expression of distaste. 

It was something half caught between a smile and a scowl, nothing Mal could ever pull off. Her face was always much to friendly — a face like Audrey’s would make many on the Isle shiver. Finally getting a good look at Auradon Prep, Maleficent already hated it. Everything was too bright, too excited from the hype of the coronation the day before. The whole place was simply buzzing with goodness and the sorceress hated it. Audrey must have heard her hiss of displeasure as she nodded in agreement. 

“Totally, this place is simply awful,” stopping at a blue box with a lock on it, Audrey leaned back slightly to look at whomever was behind the door of the one beside her, “oh, Jane. Back to the old hairdo again, huh?” 

The door slamming closed in complete surprise, a girl with some resemblance to Fairy Godmother was revealed. Short and pale, she had a brownish red bob which framed perfectly startled grey eyes. Maleficent had seen what her vanity had made her do at the Coronation, and the lizard bristled excitedly. She was, after all, a key player in her escape from the Isle. 

“Audrey...” 

“You know, Mal and her magic can’t do everything for you.” the Princess seethed lightly, clearly having some kind of goal in mind as she fiddled with her bandaged fingers. 

“I...I know that now. I should have listened to you,” 

“Not like it matters anyhow, Mal and her friends saved the day.” Waving off the ‘I told you so’ moment with a hand, Audrey shrugged, “Now that they’re all popular I doubt they’ll even look our direction.” Audrey mused innocently, opening her locker as the girl, Jane, looked shocked. 

“What...?” 

“Oh Jane, don’t be naive. Being popular is a full time job, they won’t have time for little people now.” the Princess explained easily, “I know you’re probably feeling super guilty about what happened at Coronation and just didn’t realize.” 

“Oh, yes I am. I feel so bad and no one wants to even talk to me.” Jane complained, “you’re the first person who’s actually said something.”

Maleficent merely scoffed inwardly. On the Isle, what this little welp did would be considered heroic — Auradon didn’t know what good evil was. 

“Really? Oh what a pity,” Audrey cooed, turning to place a gentle hand on Jane’s shoulder as she squeezed it, “you know, since cheer isn’t starting up again till next week I have a bit of time. Why don’t I do your hair for you this afternoon? We can fix...this.” Motioning to Jane’s everything, the shorter girl brightened up immediately. 

“You mean it? I...I thought you’d hate me.” 

“Oh no. If I was in your position, I would have gone for that wand in two seconds. Being beautiful is a gateway to so many things, Jane. But, the natural way is always the best way. Hm?” 

“Yes. Yes it is. Thank you Audrey, it really means a lot.” 

“Of course. Meet me in my dorm after classes are out. Bring Lonnie too if she wants, I’ll do you both. From friend to friend?” 

“I’ll ask her. I can’t wait.” 

Wagging her fingers as Jane practically skipped away, the young Princess grabbed what she was loitering in her locker for and slammed the door with a shoulder. 

“Jane is Fairy Godmothers daughter,” Audrey explained softly as they continued down the hall to what Maleficent assumed was Audrey’s first class, “I didn’t realize it before the VK’s came here but having her as a friend has certain perks. Besides, I can’t stand that god awful hairstyle on her — such a waste of a beautiful face.” 

Clicking her tongue gently inside her cheek, Maleficent was beginning to like Audrey more and more. Unlike Mal, who’s plans involved being forward with her evil deeds (candy stealing, disrupting the peace, spray paint, ect.) Audrey was underhanded and conniving. She was an easy liar, a pretty face that could be trusted, and she could pick out new targets and their usefulness towards whatever purpose she had in mind without much effort. No doubt the girl had a little black book of names tucked away in her mind for later use. 

“Audrey! Hey, Audrey. Hold up.” 

Glancing up, said Princess groaned as Chad appeared at her side and immediately scooped her books into his arms, “walk you to class?” 

“Do I have a choice?” The girl mumbled through tight lips, keeping her strides long as Chad padded beside her, merely content to be in her vicinity, “what of Auradon’s new King?” 

“Ben? Oh yeah he was just doing kingly stuff. The riff-raff were helping him move into the official ‘King’s Office’ this morning or something.” 

“Of course they were, where else would the hero’s of Auradon be but moving boxes?” Chortling slightly at her own little joke, Audrey shook her head slightly and shifted back into her somewhat neutral mood. “Ugh, I hate them.” 

“Apparently Ben’s made Jay the new captain of the Tourney team.” Chad complained, “I was supposed to be secondary Captain, and he went right over me to that...that loser.” 

“Ugh, what an insult. But hey, you know what you should do?” Turning as they reached an open door, Audrey took her books back in one big movement and smiled tightly, “go get us some vegan, all organic smoothies from that little place in town? It’ll make you feel better.” 

“Ah, you’re so right. Not the strawberry one though. You hate strawberries.” 

“Correct. Bye Chad,” waving a hand at the boy as he ran off, Audrey rolled her eyes and entered the room just as a bell chimed above them, “Chad is good for the face; not to bad to look at either.” Audrey mused to Maleficent as she slipped into a desk closest to the window, “Just not a whole lot going on up in that pea brain of his.” 

Chad, Maleficent decided, would make a perfect lackey. Someone to do the bidding of the evil, a face that could slip in and out without being obvious. Yes, he was perfect minion material. 

“Hi Audrey. Do you mind if I sit here?” 

Glancing up, Audrey smiled at Jane who had appeared at the next desk over. It didn’t take a genius to notice the looks the bob haired girl was receiving from the other students, and Audrey merely waved an elegant hand to the open chair. 

“Be my guest.” 

“Thanks.” Shuffling into the spot and flopping down, Jane played with the head of her skirt, “Who were you taking to just now?” 

“Me? No one,” shaking her head, Audrey mindlessly tucked her hair to give Maleficent a bit more cover on her shoulder, “just thinking out loud. So, still no luck getting people to talk to you again?” 

“No. Lonnie got to keep her great hair; she and Jay apparently danced for a bit last night.” 

“Jay, that’s the tall one?” Audrey once again fibbed, “hm, typical Lonnie would fall in with that sort. She always was to much like her father.” 

“I wouldn’t say that. She and Jay have lots in common!” Jane insisted, though appeared pensive as she fetched her notebook out of her bag, “I’m just glad I got the assignments done before the coronation.” 

“Assignments? Oh no, I completely forgot about it.” Not sure this time if Audrey was actually lying about missing her work, Jane merely pushed her journal across the desk with a grin. 

“No worries. You can look at mine? It’s not perfect or anything but it should be correct.” 

“You’re a lifesaver Jane,” Audrey breathed, fetching out her own pink spiral ring as Maleficent felt a new idea swirling in her mind. 

Mal wasn’t a good apprentice. She was a disappointment and an utter failure in the malice department. Didn’t matter Maleficent had gone to so much trouble raising her. Audrey though...she was already well on her way to being the villain of her own fairytale. She was manipulative, smart, and perfectly in tune with the Auradonian environment already. And from what Maleficent had seen, she even had a bit of magic in her blood, either from being blessed by the good fairies upon her birth or passed down from Aurora herself.

So, Maleficent would become human again. She’d take her place as the Mistress of all Evil, and get her revenge on Mal and the rest of Auradon. But in the meantime, until her powers returned, she’d nudge young Audrey in the right direction. Perhaps even spark her interest in the black arts? Yes, it was the perfect plan. And once Maleficent was herself again, she would take Audrey under her wing as a faithful student of evil - something that would break poor Sleeping Beauty’s heart. 

It was the perfect plan. Now all Maleficent needed to do was wait for the right moment to set everything into motion.

**Author's Note:**

> I really want to explore Audrey and her badness through an unusual perspective. This is not a redemption story for Maleficent or Audrey, just in case anyone is curious.


End file.
